Activities to inspire students in STEM around the state

What STEM-ulating activities are happening in West Virginia?Check this page frequently for new activities targeted toward elementary, middle and high school students to increase interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math disciplines.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting is issuing a STEAM power WV Challenge for students in grades 3 to 5.

Win prize money to purchase technology for your classroom or afterschool program. A$500 first place prize and a $200 second place prize will be awarded at each grade level 3, 4 and 5 grades. Prizewinners will be randomly selected among classroom or programs submitting a completed entry.

Challenge entries must be submitted by Friday, May 6 to be considered for prizes.

Put Art into traditional STEM lessons. Choose 4 lessons, 1 in each of the STEM areas, complete the art project and enter to win prizes to purchase technology for your classroom. Each lesson is meant to be completed in one class period.

Entering is easy, simply complete a form and submit a couple of pictures of your students at work.

The West Virginia Envirothon is a conservation education program and competition for students in grades 9 through 12. The West Virginia Envirothon focuses on five subject areas: aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and a current environmental topic. By participating in the Envirothon program students learn about West Virginia’s diverse ecosystem and how they can help conserve and protect it for future generations.

Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists – The Prize is awarded annually to one young scientist for outstanding life science research for which he/she was awarded a doctoral degree in the previous two years. The topic of the entrant’s thesis research must be in one of the following categories: Cell and Molecular Biology,Genomics and Proteomics, Ecology and Environment, Translational Medicine. Eligible entrants must have been awarded their doctoral degree in 2014 or 2015, and the subject of their thesis should match one of the Subject Tracks. The winners from each category will compete for the grand prize. Prize money: US$30,000 for the grand prize winner, US$10,000 for each of the category winners. Publication: The grand prize winning essay will be published in Science and essays from the each of the category winners will be published online. Application deadline:August 1, 2016

See the tiny creatures living in a pond or puddle using your smartphone, poster tack, and a laser pointer.

NSF and NNI Generation Nano Challenge

Deadline: Feb. 2, 2016

Who: High school students

What’s Required: A written entry explaining a superhero and nanotechnology-driven gear, with a 90 second video OR a 1 page comic introducing the superhero and the student’s nanotechnology-enable gear.

Marshall University’s College of Science is bringing the Science Olympiad to West Virginia for its second year. The opportunity is for students in grades 6 through 12. Organizers say the Science Olympiad is the “nation’s most exciting K-12 science competition”. Winners of the West Virginia competition will travel to the University of Wisconsin-Stout, for the national tournament in May. Teams will compete in a series of 23 challenges, including those in life and social sciences; earth and space science, physical science and chemistry; technology and engineering and scientific inquiry. Topics include entomology, fossils, crime science, bridge building and experimental design. A complete list is available online at www.soinc.org/short_event_descriptions. Teams may register until Jan. 29, 2016, with registration fees due no later than Feb. 5. Cost per team is $250 and additional teams from the same school are $150 each. For further information, visit the Science Olympiad website at www.soinc.org, contact Mosher by e-mail at mosher@marshall.edu or by phone at 304-696-3637, or contact Fox by e-mail at melissa.a.fox@k12.wv.us.

Ongoing activities and events

Forensic Science Saturdays, West Virginia University

The West Virginia University Next Generation Forensic Science Initiative is offering educational opportunities in different aspects of forensic science to middle school and high school students one Saturday a month throughout the 2015-2016 school year. All classes are taught through hands-on, laboratory based activities. Each class will conclude with a case study. The final class titled, “You Crack the Case”, will be open to students who participated in at least five classes; this final class will let students apply their accumulated knowledge to a mock crime scene at the WVU Crime Scene Complex. Details available at this link: http://4-hyd.ext.wvu.edu/r/download/218870. For more information contact Chris Bily by email (Chris.Bily@mail.wvu.edu) or phone at (304) 293-9496.

West Virginia University Extension Service STEM Program

The WVU Extension Service 4-H Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Program endeavors to create programming that fosters an appreciation for science, engineering, and technology in West Virginia youth and equip them with the skills they need to compete in the 21st century. This is promoted through community STEM events, University service projects, volunteer leader training, teaching activities and a variety of STEM curriculum. Statewide experiential learning in STEM includes a broad array of disciplines including forensics, chemistry, astronomy, robotics, mechanical and electrical engineering, water quality, and agriculture. WVU Extension Service’s 4-H program reaches 1 in 4 state youth each year in a variety of event settings including summer camping programs, club meetings, in school and after school activities. This allows WVU to bring hands-on science experiences to children in rural communities and to a statewide youth audience of more than 77,000 children. For more information on STEM programming, contact Jen Robertson-Honecker, WVU Extension Service STEM specialist, at Jen.Robertson@mail.wvu.edu or visit http://4-hyd.ext.wvu.edu/stem.

Clay Center, CharlestonPlanetarium Shows: Two Small Pieces of Glass and Legends of the Night Sky. Details below.

Explore the wonder and discovery made by astronomers throughout the last 400 years! Produced to engage and appeal to audiences of all ages, this planetarium show traces the history of the telescope from Galileo modifying a child’s spyglass (using two small pieces of glass), to the launch of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the future of astronomy. Showing Wednesday – Sunday at 3 pm.

Enjoy the tale of the beautiful princess Andromeda, who in divine punishment for her mother’s bragging is sacrificed to a sea monster and rescued by the Greek hero Perseus. Showing Wednesday – Sunday at 3 pm.

Clay Center, CharlestonGiant Screen Film

Join legendary polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of his ship “Endurance” in an inspirational true story of adventure and exploration. Plus, get to know three of the world’s most-accomplished mountaineers, Reinhold Messner, Stephen Venables, and Conrad Anker as they retrace the historic steps of Shakleton across the mountains and glaciers of South Georgia Island. Showing Wednesday – Sunday at 2 & 4 pm.

Ongoing: Morgan County Observatory Foundation Public Star Parties

Public Star Parties take place on regularly-scheduled Friday evenings at the Morgan County Observatory. There is stargazing, refreshments, movies and hands on astronomy exhibits to entertain people of all ages. The Observatory is open whether the sky is cloudy or clear, but could be canceled at the last minute due to severe weather conditions. For more information or to check the calendar for upcoming star parties, click here.

TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science) challenges high school and middle school students to solve real-world engineering problems using practical and creative applications of math and science knowledge. The Statler College hosts the TEAMS competition each spring, and we welcome new entrants.

On the day of the event, students complete a two-part competition in the morning, and then are taken on lab tours where they get to complete a hands-on project. The day is concluded by an award ceremony.

Please contact Cate Schlobohm for more information or to learn how to register.

– See more at: http://www.statler.wvu.edu/outreach.php#sthash.gNe1GWN9.dpuf

TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science) challenges high school and middle school students to solve real-world engineering problems using practical and creative applications of math and science knowledge. The Statler College hosts the TEAMS competition each spring, and we welcome new entrants.

On the day of the event, students complete a two-part competition in the morning, and then are taken on lab tours where they get to complete a hands-on project. The day is concluded by an award ceremony.

Please contact Cate Schlobohm for more information or to learn how to register.

– See more at: http://www.statler.wvu.edu/outreach.php#sthash.gNe1GWN9.dpuf

Ongoing: West Virginia State University Extension Service 4-H Aerospace and Robotics Club, Institute

Open to students in K-12 for hands-on learning opportunities using NASA equipment. The club meets monthly, with the mission of increasing youth interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), one of the fastest-growing areas of need in the state’s workforce.

The club is free to join. at WVSU’s Aerospace Education Laboratory (AEL), 213 Douglass St., Institute, West Virginia. Volunteer opportunities are available for interested adults. For more information, contact Paul Henderson at 304 205-7973, henderpm@wvstateu.edu.